THROUGH THE HEART OF THE JUNGLE

Illustrated in warm bold colors, a cumulative rhyming poem tells of a chain reaction of individual animal actions. Initially revealed from last to first, the events are then repeated from first to last. “This is the fly, that buzzed through the heart of the jungle. This is the spider, that gobbled the fly, that buzzed through the heart of the jungle. This is the toad with the big googly eye, that gulped down the spider, that gobbled the fly,” and so on. Backgrounds are textured, leafy, and abstract; animals are bright, fully identifiable, and full of motion. Smooth rhymes and impeccable rhythm make the text eminently accessible for repeat listeners to chime in. Jarring the flow for discerning readers, however, is a logical glitch: if the lion’s roar “started the trouble” and everything else occurs in order after that, then the last two events are impossible, because a spider that has already been eaten can not go ahead and eat a fly. The phrase, “last, but not least” is also a confusing descriptor of the lion’s roar, which occurs first; perhaps it refers to the fact that the roar is narrated last? Amply compensating and distracting, however, is the huge orange lion’s mouth, which is diagonally open and toothy, but soft enough in line and texture to be more fascinating than scary. Good for story hour and group read-alouds. (Picture book. 2-5)